This chapter is from the book

Now you gotta admit—the Beach Boys’ classic hit “Surfin’ Safari” is just about as perfect a title for a chapter on using the Safari Web browser as you can get. But as you know, that’s where the cohesiveness ends on this page, because the rest of this paragraph really has nothing to do with browsing the Web, or safaris, or even the iPhone for that matter. That’s right, this is my “special time” where you and I get to bond on a level that I normally reserve only for close personal friends and men’s room attendants. You see, when someone has read as much of this book as you have, a very magical thing happens. It’s a magical moment of extreme clarity we both share simultaneously (but not at the same time), and although we experience this together, we do it totally separately, but still as one (which isn’t easy to do). For example, it’s that moment when you realize that you’ve already invested so much time in this book that you really can’t stop now and you’re “in it for the long haul.” For me, it’s the moment when I realize that you’ve had the book so long now you can’t really return it for a refund. You see, it really is magical. So, put down the book, and take just a moment to close your eyes, breathe deeply, and just let your mind drift off to a place where it doesn’t matter that the chapter introduction doesn’t actually relate to the content in the coming chapter. That type of thing no longer matters to you because in your mind you’re finally free—free to finally reach out and touch that existential neo-ocular nirvana that can only happen in Seattle. I have no idea how to end this gracefully. Hey! Quick—look over there!

Launching Safari

Safari is the iPhone’s Web browser. It is by far the best Web browsing experience on a mobile phone to date. Safari will launch automatically when you tap on a URL (Web address) in one of the other applications. However, if you want to launch it manually, it’s easy. Go to the Home screen and tap the Safari button at the bottom of the screen. The first time you launch Safari, it will launch to a blank screen.

iTip

Your Web and email connections will be much faster if you can jump on a wireless network (at home, at the office, at your local coffee shop, etc.), but finding a free wireless connection when you’re on the road is a lot harder, unless you know this trick: Go to Maps from the Home screen, and type in “wifi,” then a comma, and the city and state you’re in (i.e., wifi, Kennebunkport, ME), and it will pinpoint the location of nearby free Wi-Fi coffee houses, restaurants, etc. There’s also a website called JiWire Wi-Fi Finder, which looks and acts like an iPhone application, and can search for not only local free spots, but any open Wi-Fi networks. Check it out athttp://iphone.jiwire.com.